FOR NOW, HONOR CURRENT WARS’ VETS AT VIETNAM MEMORIAL
FOR NOW, HONOR VETERANS OF CURRENT WARS AT THE VIETNAM MEMORIAL WALL

“The beginning of the end of war is remembrance,” wrote Herman Wouk. For the Americans fighting today in Afghanistan and Iraq, there is little we can do except pray for their safety.

The war in Iraq is complete. Our troops in Afghanistan will be back in 2014.

Yet just as our nation eventually honored the service and sacrifice of Vietnam War veterans, so too, should we do the same for the veterans returning from the more recent and ongoing wars.

For Vietnam vets, the place they were recognized — years after a divisive and controversial military engagement — was a memorial in Washington, D.C., dedicated after a big parade in 1982. It is now known as The Wall. Do the veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq deserve a symbolic place like this to heal and for the nation to acknowledge their sacrifices? Yes.

Actually, there is something that many people are quietly and persistently working on: The Education Center at The Wall. It will be a place that will honor all through amazing displays of the more than 300,000 items left there. There will be photos of the 58,000 who did not return from Vietnam.

Yet there will be something else. There will be exhibits showing the photos of The Fallen from Afghanistan and Iraq. They too will be honored there.

A small cadre of Americans is currently serving in the military — about 1 percent of the population. Since 2001, more than 30,000 have been wounded and about 7,000 have died. Many Americans have no ties to those in uniform and don’t understand the sacrifices their families make.

The families have waited while many skirmishes and some large battles have been fought. American troops are brave. Some raise questions about the wisdom of sending our finest citizens to places like Iraq and Vietnam. Yet they go when told to do so.

Nick Fredsti was one. The native San Diegan was on his sixth combat tour with the Army Airborne when he was killed in Afghanistan last month in a gunbattle with Taliban fighters. He loved being a paratrooper and is survived by his sister and parents.

There are many stories like this. These veterans with their courage and sacrifice can inspire us all when their stories are told.

In November 1982, tens of thousands of Vietnam veterans marched to their new memorial. Our plan is to have the veterans from Afghanistan and Iraq march to the Education Center at The Wall in 2014.

The state-of-the-art facility will teach all generations about values like duty, courage, honor and integrity — those shown by our men and women in uniform since 1775. The center will display the photos of all 58,282 people whose names are on The Wall, as well as photos of those killed in Afghanistan and Iraq as a special exhibit in honor of those fallen heroes until they have a monument of their own.

Vietnam veterans come to The Wall to find the names of their fallen comrades. It’s often an incredibly emotional and moving experience. Once the Education Center is completed near the Vietnam Veterans and Lincoln memorials, Vietnam veterans will stand side by side with Afghanistan and Iraq veterans as they once again see the faces of people like Nick Fredsti.